A Creche in Time & Space
by Orba the Geek
Summary: As they escape something dastardly, the Tardis is grabbed ......... By what ......?


A Crèche in Time & Space!  
  
"Quick, Jamie! Close the doors, before they get in!" he said panting, as he leant on the console for support with one hand, whilst dabbing a voluminous spotted handkerchief at the perspiration running down his face, with the other.  
  
"Och, dinnae worry Doctor!" he said catching his breath too. "You're pretty fleet of foot," pausing, then with a glint in his eye, adding, "for someone your age!"  
  
Despite the danger outside, they both acted without a care in the world or worlds, because they knew that inside the TARDIS, they were within its protection and the TARDIS was impregnable.  
  
"Gosh Jamie, that was a close one! But why didn't you run when I said?"  
  
"Well, you know when you say, "When I say run, run"? This time, as you said it, you sort of winked at me, so I thought you was just having a joke."  
  
"Jamie! I wasn't winking! I had something in my eye!" as he busied himself with the controls on the console. Within seconds, the familiar grinding and groaning and the movement of the rotor in the centre of the console signalled their dematerialisation.  
  
"Where are we off to now Doctor, if you ken?"  
  
"Why you cheeky ...... "  
  
Just then, the TARDIS seemed to strain and shudder, the violent movement almost knocking them both off balance. As the Doctor went to make an adjustment, the rotor halted in its rising movement and slowly sank to rest. As it did so, the TARDIS was sent into darkness. Everything, all the lights on the console and the interior lighting, which was never really apparent, just expired.  
  
"Doctor! What's happening?"  
  
"It's alright Jamie, just stay where you are. I'll soon have some light here." Sure enough, a warm glow emanated from the TARDIS's walls. Not bright but sufficient for them to see.  
  
"Well, we haven't lost our power, so that's something," the Doctor tried to say reassuringly to his companion, as he continued to press buttons and flip switches, but it was obvious that he was concerned at this turn of events.  
  
Jamie, now by the Doctor's side, "Did ye not tell me before that it was dangerous for us to stop in mid flight?"  
  
In his studious, no nonsense voice, the Doctor replied, "Yes, that's right Jamie and if we don't move on soon, all our atoms, that's yours and mine and that of the TARDIS, could be scattered across the Universe or wherever we are at this particular moment in time. Now just be a good chap and let me get on with this. If I need any help I'll ask."  
  
Jamie started to speak, but thought better of it. He'd seen the Doctor like this before and he knew it was best to stay out of his way.  
  
It was then he realised the familiar hum of the TARDIS had stopped. But the Doctor had said they still had power. Surely one went with the other, although he didn't really understand these things. How could he? But since he had started travelling with the Doctor, things he could not have dreamed of, were now taken for granted by him. It was a world, a Universe away from the lochs and highlands of Scotland that he knew. Ha! Not that he had known what a Universe was before.  
  
"Jamie?"  
  
"Aye Doctor!" he replied instantly, raised from his reverie.  
  
"In a second Jamie, I am going to do something extremely dangerous ......"  
  
"Wha...?"  
  
"No Jamie, just listen. I am going to divert what power we have, past all the TARDIS's safety circuits, to sort of jump start it, past whatever it is that has caused us to stop."  
  
"Is it gonna be any more dangerous than what we normally get up to?" Jamie said in a voice that was unflinching in its casual jauntiness.  
  
"We- ell, yes it is. Because I am bypassing all the safety circuits, which I need to do to conserve energy, the TARDIS will not be able to protect us from any unwanted attack or ...."  
  
"Or what, Doctor?"  
  
"That's just it! I don't know, Jamie! Something very powerful has caused us to stop, but at the same time, holding us, the TARDIS and all our molecules, together. This isn't just something we have stumbled into. Who or what that has contrived to do this did not intend to kill us, but at the same time, I do not think they or it want to be our friends either!"  
  
"So what are we gonna do?" asked a slightly more serious Jamie.  
  
"Whatever it is that has done this, is expecting me to do something to extract us from this predicament. I suspect that it already knows all the possibilities, as it had to know the workings of the TARDIS, in order to know how to stop us in the manner that it has.  
  
"Aye, that's all very well, but who is it and why?"  
  
"Don't worry about that Jamie, that's one thing I am certain about, is that we shall find that out very soon!" as he pulled a lever on the console and they were immediately plunged into darkness and at the same time thrown off their feet by a violent lurching of the TARDIS. The TARDIS's time rotor had began to rise, accompanied by a terrible screeching sound. The TARDIS's normal lighting flashed on, then off, then on again, then reverted to the soft emergency lighting they had been bathed in earlier. The rotor continued to move jerkily, the Tardis throwing them across the floor, first one way, then another.  
  
"Oh Oh! Jamie .... Hang on!"  
  
"Och aye ....... To whaaaaaat?" as Jamie seemed to be thrown in contrary movement to the Doctor, being hurled in the opposite direction.  
  
"It w...w...w...w...will all be ov ........ver in a minute Jaaamieeee, oooooff!" As he collided with a hat stand and a chair now entangled together. The TARDIS seemed to screech again, then made it's more traditional grinding and groaning sound as the rotor steadily rose to it's full height, all the full lighting returned, the sounds ceased, the rotor fell to rest and all the lighting went out, leaving them in total darkness, but no longer being thrown about.  
  
"Doctor?" croaked an anxious Jamie.  
  
"Yes Jamie, I'm okay ....... I think. The TARDIS has materialised ......... somewhere ...... but you will have to bear with me a moment and I'll see if I can get some light."  
  
Just then, a green hooded shimmering figure appeared, floating in mid air, the green light emanating from the figure being the only illumination.  
  
"Time Lord! You must bow down before me! Do you not know your rightful master when he deigns to allow you to live in his presence?"  
  
"Er... yes ....... Hello! ........... "  
  
"Who on earth is that?"  
  
"Not now Jamie!"  
  
"Who is this miserable creature? What is it's purpose?" his voice raising in a crescendo as his gowned arm rose, revealing a bony shrivelled finger, pointing at Jamie.  
  
"I could ask the same about you ....."  
  
"Whaaaaat!!!!"  
  
"No what I mean is ........... Who are you? An ...an ... an.. and what have you done to my TARDIS? I want you to release it at once. You have no ..."  
  
"SILENCE! Or I will reduce this creature to the dust from whence he came!"  
  
"Here, you can't talk to us like that."  
  
"JAMIE! Not now! Pleeease!"  
  
"Doctor......... that is what you are commonly referred to, is it not? My patience is wearing thin. I do not have much time, although time is irrelevant here, but nevertheless, my strength is waning and I am unable to still the petty fragments of this domain for much longer and maintain this form."  
  
"I wish you would get to the point and you still haven't told me who you are," dabbing his forehead with the spotted handkerchief that was always spilling out of his breast pocket.  
  
"I ......" he said, raising himself to his full height and outstretching his arms in a gesture more suited to over acting in an amateur dramatics production. Except this was clearly no amateur dramatics production.  
  
"I ......." he continued in a thundering, booming voice, "Am Arkresh .............." he left this hanging in the air for a moment, as if expecting a round of applause, or some form of recognition.  
  
"Sorry, never heard of you!" smiled the Doctor.  
  
"Who did he say he was?" added Jamie.  
  
"Arkresh! Akresh"  
  
"All fall down ..... Oh, sorry, that's something else," apologised the Doctor.  
  
The effect of this on the intruder was spectacular. He raised his arms up in the air and roared a deep growling ......... roar, his right arm suddenly thrust outstretched towards the Doctor, who at that very moment bent down to pick up the spotted handkerchief he had dropped, as a bolt of energy whizzed over his head and destroyed the grandfather clock that had stood there since as long as Jamie had travelled with the Doctor. A clock that had strangely ceased to tick, just minutes earlier and now would tock no more.  
  
"Did you not see that Doctor? He almost killed you!"  
  
"Eh? What?" mumbled the Doctor, turning round and gazing at the splintered remnants and melted cogs of what had been the clock. "Now listen here, there was no need for that!" Stepping up towards the green glowing figure, shimmering and hovering a few inches off the floor there. The Doctor, almost prodded the figure in the chest, but thought better of it. "You stop my TARDIS in mid-flight, something extremely dangerous, I might add, and stand there ranting and raving and destroying my property. This is just not good enough!"  
  
"Cease! Do not try my anger, I have already warned you. Do not make light of the danger you are in. I have only to will it and this ....... this TARDIS, as you call it, and all it's contents, will scatter to the eons."  
  
"Yes, but where would that leave you? You have obviously done this for a reason. Come on, spit it out ...... Get on with it now, instead of waving your arms about and flashing bolts of energy!" Then in a calmer, more measured, almost defiant voice, "You want something from me. Something you cannot manage or obtain, even with all the power you possess, so you have come to me."  
  
"I am Arkresh," he started again.  
  
"Didnae he say that before, Doctor?"  
  
"Yes Jamie, quiet now please, I think we might be getting somewhere."  
  
"I, Arkresh, Master of Eternity, Lord of All the Universes," thrashing his arms about, indiscriminately sending energy bolts hither and thither, destroying a chair here and roundel there, and luckily leaving the console intact. Lowering his cacophonous voice, he added, "Controller of Time!"  
  
"Piffel!"  
  
"Whaaattt! You dare ......!"  
  
"Yes I do dare! I haven't heard such a load of egocentric rubbish, since the Daleks declared themselves Masters of the Universe! Instead of all these superficial gestures and fireworks, just tell me, what is it exactly, that you want!"  
  
The green glow from the hooded figure faded as it also lowered itself to the floor. The TARDIS's dim lighting returned, bathing them all in a warm glow. What had been a large imposing hooded figure now appeared as a large dwarf, drowning in an oversized cowled kimono, which still shimmered and sparkled in the dim light. However, the features of the wearer still remained hidden by the voluminous cowl of his hood. The more diminutive figure seemed somewhat pathetic now. So much so, his appearance caused an inevitable reaction in Jamie.  
  
"Doctor! ........ Look! ......... Ha! Ha!"  
  
"Careful, Jamie," he started to say as the boney finger emitted out towards Jamie another bolt of energy. Due to Jamie's hilarity, the energy bolt missed, yet again!  
  
The figure now started to make unintelligible noises and squeals, jumping up and down in exasperation, but due to the voluminous amount of cloth, the figure ended up rolling about on the floor, an occasional skinny leg or arm appearing before once again becoming entrapped amidst the surplus material, accompanied by even more sounds of frusration and the occasional bolt of energy, sometimes burning holes in the billowing sleeves.  
  
Jamie and the Doctor stood there, open mouthed at this amazing sight, ducking the occasional energy bolt.  
  
As all this pandemonium was occurring, the TARDIS's main lighting returned and the rotor in the centre of the console began to rise and fall, accompanied by the usual grinding and groaning sounds.  
  
"Doctor, we're on the move again. What did you do?"  
  
"Yes Jamie ....... but I did nothing. I suspect it has something to do with our friend here."  
  
"What do mean 'friend'? He's tried to kill us both, more than once. Do ye no ken that?" his voice raising in pitch as he reverted almost to his native Highland twang.  
  
As they were speaking the TARDIS came to rest and the doors opened and through which emanated a brilliant white light.  
  
"How did you do that?" asked a calmer more wary Jamie, knowing that the doors opening on their own normally preceded danger.  
  
"I think we are about to have some more visitors," whispered the Doctor as two shadowy figures loomed through the white brightness.  
  
"Zarbo, stop that at once!" said one of the two emerging figures. She was tall and willowy, for indeed it was a woman. She wore long flowing robes that seemed to change from one pastel colour to another as she walked, at the same time sparkling and shimmering and crackling with the sound of electricity. A veil, although draped over her head, still revealed long dark tresses. Despite the stern words she had just issued, her face was bathed in a serene and confidence inspiring expression. Her eyes, her liquid green eyes had a deep intensive light, they flitted across the interior she had entered and it's contents and rested on the Doctor.  
  
"I am afraid my son Zarbo has caused you an inconvenience. He is rather boisterous and adventurous in using his burgeoning powers. It is so difficult keeping a watchful eye over him all the time."  
  
The Doctor, slapping Jamie in the chest to stop him interjecting here, was about to do a bit of interjecting himself, when the man figure besides the other, spoke in mellow, sonorous voice.  
  
"Doctor, please excuse us for this little episode. Also, I am reminded by the expression on both your faces, that we have not introduced ourselves. I am Zephor, Supreme of the Deities. This is my spouse, Arithra and unfortunately, you have already met our offspring."  
  
He had said this with the dignity and an elegance of gesture, as that of a ballet dancer from Earth. He too, was clad in a cloth as that of his spouse, but more in the form of a long tunic and flowing cloak. His head was bare of any adornment, including hair, but his eyes and features were identical to Arithra's."  
  
I am afraid, the Doctor said cagily, "I have, in all my travels, never heard of 'The Deities' of which you speak. I thought my knowledge, based on our extensive data base from Gallifrey, would cover any such race."  
  
"Race ..... RACE! We are not a Race! We are simply 'The Deities'............ We do not normally exist in your plane and have taken these forms to converse with you on this occasion. It is with great regret that Zarbo here, has sought to dabble in your plane of being and pretend that he is some all powerful being in your universe. It is not our normal way. In his education, he has been taught concerning the petty squabbles that have occurred in your plane. As he began to mature, he wished to exercise his newly found powers. If he had remained within our plane of existence, he would not have caused any damage, but regretfully, we did not keep the watchful eye on him, at this particularly troublesome period of his puberty, as we should have done and he discovered the means of crossing over."  
  
Arithra continued, "He was particularly interested in the Time Lords and in his researches, you Doctor and all your history, intrigued him. We should have realised earlier, where this might have led to, but alas ........."  
  
While all this was being said, Jamie's mouth was hanging open, rather untidily, until the Doctor gently tapped it shut with his hand, before continuing. "So, you can enter our dimension whenever you wish?"  
  
"Of course," spoke Zephor, "but it is not so much a dimension as you would conceive to know it. Our plane is beyond any such existence. We have been crossing over, from time to time, an expression that seems out of place in this instance, for as long as I can remember. In your terms, that is so long a time ago, that you would find it hard to envisage, even with your Time Lords' concept of Time."  
  
"How is it that we have never crossed paths, so to speak. The history of my planet would have unearthed some contact, surely?"  
  
"Ah! But you have. Our power is such, that once we have left your plane, it will be as if we had not crossed our paths, as you say."  
  
"You mean," jumped in an excited Jamie, "you take our memories away?"  
  
"Not exactly!" Arithra's softly spoken voice said. "Once we leave your plane, it will be as if we had not been here. Everything will return to the way it was. The essence of this plane will not have been altered. You will not remember, because there will be nothing to remember."  
  
While all this was being said, the little bundle of fun, that had previously been writhing on the floor between them, had, at the sound of his parents voices, ceased his movements and had emerged from his oversized kimono type garb. What was revealed, considering the simple beauty of the other beings, was short, stubby and wrinkly, with bony arms and legs and almost the face of a little old man, with scrawny hair. Only his head swivelled from speaker to speaker, knitting and unknitting the fingers of his hands, nervously.  
  
"So Doctor," began Zephor, "we have overstayed our welcome, I am sure. We, and that includes YOU Zarbo, must return to our own existence and let you continue your journey. Come," the voice now masterful and commanding, "let us leave!"  
  
He turned and was joined by Arithra, who looked over her shoulder as she turned and said, "Goodbye Doctor, I am so glad we have met again."  
  
They disappeared through the white brightness that was still emanating from the open TARDIS doors, leaving Jamie, once again with his mouth open, as the Doctor, his forehead furrowed, as he stroke his chin and Zarbo, still nervously playing with his hands but staring into the void beyond the TARDIS doors.  
  
"ZARBO!" came Zephor's commanding voice.  
  
He turned and looked at the Doctor, his mouth opened and "I..... I...." was all that he said in a thin croaky voice, and he gathered himself up and disappeared through the doors.  
  
"What did she mean 'AGAIN', Doctor?"  
  
"That's puzzling me Ja ......" but did not finish his words as the doors suddenly closed and the TARDIS's rotor began to rise and fall with the accompanying sounds.  
  
"Why you cheeky .......... Just a minute. What am I doing over here? In fact ......I'm sure we were both standing over by the console."  
  
"Aye Doctor, my head feels kinda strange too. Something feels different in here."  
  
"Hmmm! Look at that clock Jamie!"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Nothing Jamie ........... absolutely nothing!" 


End file.
